PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 25 - 19.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Jan 3, 2025
Unauthorized Spending Accountability Act
This bill reduces budgetary levels for certain federal programs that are funded through the annual appropriations process and do not have an authorization of appropriations.
Under the bill, budgetary levels are spending allocations provided to the congressional appropriations committees by a congressional budget resolution or a deeming resolution. The allocations are provided under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and are often referred to as 302(a) allocations.
The bill applies to programs included in the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO's) annual report listing programs that are funded through the appropriations process and have an authorization of appropriations that has either expired or will expire during the year.
If a program is listed in the CBO report, the bill requires specified reductions to be implemented over a three-year period and terminates the unauthorized programs at the end of the third unauthorized year.
People & committees
Rep. Cammack, Kat [R-FL-3] · R–FL
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 25 - 19.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on the Budget, and Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on the Budget, and Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on the Budget, and Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Sep 8, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-01-03 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed bill would reduce the overall budget allocations to congressional spending committees when covered programs’ authorizations to receive funding expire. Reductions would equal 10 percent of a program’s funding in the expiration year, then 15 percent in each of the next two years if it remains unauthorized. Programs reaching the third-year reduction would terminate the following fiscal year. Congress could restore reduced allocations through qualifying reauthorization. These reductions concern committee budget allocations; the text does not require matching cuts to each affected program.
The term budgetary level means the allocation made under section 302(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 633(a)) to the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives or the Senate
such level shall immediately be reduced by an amount equal to 10 percent of the funds appropriated for such program in the expiring fiscal year.
With respect to any unauthorized program that results in a budgetary level reduction under subsection (a) that remains an unauthorized program in the second or third fiscal year following the expiring fiscal year, on the date that a budgetary level is established for either such second or third fiscal year, the budgetary level for either such fiscal year shall be reduced by an amount equal to 15 percent of the funds appropriated for such program in the expiring fiscal year.
Any unauthorized program that causes a budgetary level reduction under section 3(b) applicable to the third fiscal year following the expiring fiscal year shall, effective immediately on October 1 of the fiscal year immediately following such third fiscal year, be terminated
(2) upon the date of such reauthorization, any such reduction shall be restored.
Subsection (a) shall only apply if the reauthorization contains a sunset provision applicable to such program providing for an authorization of appropriations period of not more than three years.
The proposal is called the Unauthorized Spending Accountability Act. It would establish a recurring three-year cycle of budget allocation reductions for covered programs, beginning in fiscal year 2026.
This Act may be cited as the Unauthorized Spending Accountability Act.
There is hereby established a reoccurring three-year budgetary level reduction cycle with respect to any unauthorized program, to begin in fiscal year 2026, consistent with the requirements of this Act.
The budget amount subject to reduction would be the allocation to the House or Senate Appropriations Committee under section 302(a) of the Congressional Budget Act. This includes allocations established through a congressional budget resolution or a “deeming resolution,” another mechanism for setting the covered allocation.
The term budgetary level means the allocation made under section 302(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 633(a)) to the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives or the Senate in a concurrent resolution on the budget for a fiscal year, and includes any such allocation made pursuant to a deeming resolution.
Coverage would depend on the Congressional Budget Office’s annual report on expired and expiring funding authorizations, or a successor report. The bill defines an “unauthorized program” as a listed program or activity whose authorization of appropriations expires in the report’s publication fiscal year. The “expiring fiscal year” is the year that authorization expires.
The term unauthorized program means any program or activity listed in the annual report published by the Congressional Budget Office, entitled Expired and Expiring Authorizations of Appropriations, or any successor report, with respect to which authorizations of appropriations will expire during the fiscal year in which such report is published.
The term expiring fiscal year means, with respect to an unauthorized program, the fiscal year during which authorizations of appropriations will expire for such program.
A transition rule would cover unauthorized programs funded in fiscal year 2026 whose funding authorizations expired earlier. For this bill’s purposes, they would be treated as listed programs whose authorizations expire in fiscal year 2026.
For purposes of applying this Act to any unauthorized program funded during fiscal year 2026 and for which authorizations of appropriations expired before such fiscal year, such program shall be deemed to be a program or activity listed in the report referred to in subsection (b)(3) with respect to which authorizations of appropriations will expire during fiscal year 2026.
For the first fiscal year after a covered authorization expires, the committee budget allocation would immediately decrease when established. The reduction would equal 10 percent of the funds appropriated for the program in its expiration fiscal year.
With respect to any unauthorized program, on the date that a budgetary level is established for the fiscal year immediately following the expiring fiscal year, such level shall immediately be reduced by an amount equal to 10 percent of the funds appropriated for such program in the expiring fiscal year.
If a program caused the first-year reduction and remains unauthorized in the second or third year after expiration, the allocation for each applicable year would decrease when established. Each reduction would equal 15 percent of the program’s appropriations in the original expiration year.
With respect to any unauthorized program that results in a budgetary level reduction under subsection (a) that remains an unauthorized program in the second or third fiscal year following the expiring fiscal year, on the date that a budgetary level is established for either such second or third fiscal year, the budgetary level for either such fiscal year shall be reduced by an amount equal to 15 percent of the funds appropriated for such program in the expiring fiscal year.
After a reduction, each chamber’s Budget Committee chair would have to send the revised allocation to that chamber’s Appropriations Committee chair.
Upon the reduction of a budgetary level (if any) under subsection (a) or (b), the chair of the Committee on the Budget of the House of Representatives and the Senate shall submit the revised budgetary level to the chair of the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate, respectively.
A program that causes the third-year reduction would terminate on October 1 of the next fiscal year.
Any unauthorized program that causes a budgetary level reduction under section 3(b) applicable to the third fiscal year following the expiring fiscal year shall, effective immediately on October 1 of the fiscal year immediately following such third fiscal year, be terminated
After termination, available money not already committed would remain available to record, adjust, and settle valid financial commitments made before termination.
except that any unobligated amounts available for such program after the date of termination shall remain available for recording, adjusting, and liquidating valid obligations of such program issued before such termination date.
No new financial commitments could be made for a terminated program in any fiscal year unless Congress expressly reauthorizes it. That reauthorization would have to limit the authorization of appropriations to no more than three years.
No funds may be obligated for any program terminated pursuant to subsection (a) in any fiscal year without an express reauthorization of the program by Congress containing an authorization of appropriations period not to exceed three years.
A program causing a reduction would be exempt from the bill’s requirements if expressly reauthorized during the fiscal year in which the affected allocation is established. The reduction would be restored on the reauthorization date. This relief would require an expiration provision limiting the authorization of appropriations to three years or less.
Consistent with subsection (b)— (1) any unauthorized program that causes a budgetary level reduction applicable to a fiscal year under section 3 that is expressly reauthorized during the fiscal year in which such level is established shall not be subject to the requirements of this Act; and (2) upon the date of such reauthorization, any such reduction shall be restored.
Subsection (a) shall only apply if the reauthorization contains a sunset provision applicable to such program providing for an authorization of appropriations period of not more than three years.
The supplied actions snapshot, updated September 8, 2026, records introduction and referral to the House Oversight and Government Reform, Budget, and Rules committees on January 3, 2025. It also records a committee markup on December 2, 2025, and an order to report the bill with amendments by a 25–19 vote that day. That record does not establish enactment.
Source snapshot updated 2026-09-08T19:31:27Z.
2025-01-03: Introduced in House
2025-01-03: Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on the Budget, and Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2025-12-02: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 25 - 19. 2025-12-02: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-01-03. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; member requests, disclosures, and committee or conference materials were not supplied.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption, or preferential treatment was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. The reauthorization exception applies generally within the bill’s framework. This conclusion does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Sep 8, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI